


Invitation Only

by KasumiKamigawa



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Masquerade Ball, Pommern is only there to get wine drunk, Pre-Canon, Reunions, Suggestive Themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-10 05:51:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15285060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KasumiKamigawa/pseuds/KasumiKamigawa
Summary: The night had only just begun, and already Katalina regretted accepting the invitation.





	Invitation Only

**Author's Note:**

> A fic for my friend despairdriven! They requested KataVira with the prompt “masquerade ball”, and my wife AcaciaHoney and I decided to make it into a challenge. Both of us write something based on the same prompt without consulting with the other. Her story is outlined and should be posted soon! Until then enjoy my half~

The night had only just begun, and already Katalina regretted accepting the invitation. 

Diplomats of varying social statuses were gathered in the ballroom of Albion Castle, with everyone dressed in extravagant outfits and decorated masks. The ball was supposed to be a socially political event, a way to strengthen bonds throughout the Skydom, and here she was watching over a drunk Pommern on his third glass of wine. When the Captain invited her and a handful of other Lieutenants to accompany him to the event last minute, she should’ve known it was all a ruse to pass off the diplomatic responsibilities onto someone else while he got wine wasted. Normally this wouldn’t have been an issue, but one thing was making her uneasy.

It’s been almost six years since she’d been in Albion.

Glancing amongst the masks, the Lieutenant could take vague guesses as to who some of the guests were, but she had yet to spot anyone that resembled Albion’s Lord, and it set her on edge. She’d had years to think about what she would say when they met again, but nothing she could think of seemed to be enough in her mind. 

Katalina sighed, adjusting the mask resting over the top half of her face. It was more of a visor, really, resembling the helms that the imperial soldiers wore, and her outfit was nothing more than her imperial uniform sans the armor. Not something that stood out amongst the other guests, she realized. Maybe she didn’t have to face it yet? It was a cowardly thought, but she was only staying for one night. To meet again after so long only to leave soon after would tear her apart.

The Lieutenant was pulled out of her thoughts by a draph man in a red mask offering his hand out to her, “Even with that visor on I can tell how deep your brow is creased. How about a dance to get your mind off whatever’s bothering you?” His words were warm and inviting, but Katalina hesitated for a moment, glancing over her shoulder at where Pommern was slumped on the table, slurring a conversation with another Lieutenant with a new glass of wine in hand. The man just laughed, “He’ll be fine. Besides, you deserve to have some fun for yourself.”

She accepted the draph’s outstretched hand before she could let herself argue and was swept out onto the dance floor. He twirled her around twice before pulling her close, leading her in a waltz that was half a step faster than she was used to, matching the tempo of the music. Katalina recovered and fell in step, only to find herself being twirled around again after a minute or two and into the arms of a taller erune woman. The woman winked down at her and began leading her off into a waltz just as the draph man, who had also switched partners, Katalina noticed, had. 

Before she knew it, she was being passed around the dance floor from partner to partner every few minutes. The Lieutenant tried her best to keep up with the pace of her partners; one moment she was being led in the steps, and then the next she was twirling a woman around and leading her instead. Katalina quickly found herself enjoying the dance, so caught up in the movements that she didn’t notice the new face that joined the crowd on the dance floor. The music began to slow and the guests changed from shifting partners to steady pairs for the next song, but before she could break away completely she was pulled in by one last guest. 

“My, aren’t you popular, Lieutenant? Won’t you stay for one more song? I haven’t had my turn with you yet.”

Katalina could only hope that her shock was hidden enough behind her visor that her new partner didn’t notice. While her voice may have deepened and hair had grown longer over the years, and even with a mask that was reminiscent of Luminiera’s wings meant to conceal her identity, the smile on her lips could belong to no one else but Albion’s Lord Commander. The Lieutenant felt both her heart flutter and her blood run cold, causing her to stumble slightly before leading the Lord in a slow waltz. If her partner had noticed, she didn’t say anything, seemingly content with being lead by a stranger in a dance meant for a couple. They moved together wordlessly, steps in perfect sync that onlookers would assume the pair had been partners for years. If only they knew. 

Through the slits of her mask, she searched for any sign of recognition in the Lord’s expression, only to be met with a warm smile that was saved for her and her alone. 

In that instant, Katalina forgot why she had been avoiding this reunion all night.

The song came to an end, and the Lord leaned in close enough so that her lips brushed against the shell of the taller woman’s ear, causing her to shiver, “I know you. It’s been so long, my dearest Lieutenant.”

“Vi-“

A finger against her lips and a shake of the Lord’s head stopped the name on the tip of her tongue. Katalina could see a mischievous glint in her eyes though the mask.

“If you wish to speak, perhaps we should do so somewhere more private?”

Before she could respond, another Lieutenant tapped her on shoulder, “I’m sorry to interrupt, ma’am, but the Captain is a little, um...”

A glance over at the table he had been left at revealed a blacked out Pommern and the other officer attempting to shake him awake.  
There were multiple glasses resting around the area that Katalina could only pray did not all belong to the Captain. With a sigh, she pulled away from her partner, “We should get him back to the ship.”

“There’s no need for that,” the Lord Commander stepped forward, “It’s dangerous to walk around the town at night, especially if you’re carrying an unconscious person. The castle has plenty of spare guest rooms that he and the rest of your party are more than welcomed to use for the night. Allow me to escort you.”

With a bow the knights thanked her for her hospitality and hoisted the Captain up onto their shoulders to follow her into the castle and to the guest rooms. By the time they got Pommern safely to bed the clock had already struck midnight, but once he was settled the other two officers made their way back to the party, leaving the two women behind in the hall. Before Katalina could follow after, she felt a hand brush against her own, the contact sending a nervous chill down her spine.

“Will you take a walk with me?”

She studied the Lord’s face for a moment, trying to discern anything beyond that smile that was hers and only hers and finding nothing. She swallowed her hesitation and nodded, “Sure.”

They walked the halls of Albion Castle together in silence, bypassing the ballroom and ending at a balcony that overlooked the town. Katalina made her way to the railing and took a deep breath of the night air, letting a wave of nostalgia roll over her. “I’ve missed this place...”

“I’ve missed _you._ ”

A warm body pressed against her back, and after a moment of hesitation the Lieutenant turned around to properly embrace the shorter woman, “Six long years...”

“Vira... I-“ I’m sorry is what she wanted to say, but it didn’t feel like it was enough. She had so much that she wanted to apologize for. For throwing that fight all those years ago, for being a coward and leaving the younger girl behind to shoulder the burden of Lord Commander all on her own, for not being able to stay by her side even now, no matter how much she wanted to, for everything. Instead of finding the right words to say, she found a hand gripping desperately in her hair and a pair of soft lips pressing against her own.

The kiss was awkward, with their masks clacking together as they moved. Katalina reached up to remove the wing-like mask from Vira’s eyes, letting it drop to the ground and cupping her face to pull her in deeper. They broke away after a minute, leaving the blonde flushed and wanting more, and Katalina felt a pang of guilt shoot through her. 

“Vira, wait-“

“You don’t need to apologize,” Vira’s hand moved from the back of her neck to remove the taller woman’s mask, the last barrier between them, “You never had to. I never held any of what happened against you.”

“Still...”

“Don’t,” She placed a finger on Katalina’s lips and smiled, “You’re here with me now, and I don’t plan on letting you go again-“

“I can’t stay.”

She was curt, leaving no room for argument, and the hurt that flashed across Vira’s face felt like a knife twisting in her heart. She pulled the girl closer to her chest, holding her tightly, “I’m sorry, but after tonight I have to go back. There are still things I need to do before I can stay with you for good...” Blue hair flashed in her mind, but she shook the thought away to look down at the woman in her arms. 

Vira’s expression was blank and overcast, looking almost as if she were possessed, Katalina noticed with a nervous gulp. She expected the Lord to argue with her, to demand that she stay by her side, but instead Vira’s arms came up around her in a tight embrace.

“... I understand,” she smiled as she spoke, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “If that’s the case, then we should enjoy the time we have together while we can.”

“I’d like that,” Katalina pulled away to pick up their discarded masks, offering Vira’s to her with a smile. “Would you like to head back to the party?”

Vira didn’t answer at first, looking at the mask and then up to her face before taking it and tossing it to the side. Katalina didn’t get a chance to question what she was doing, instead finding herself being pushed back against the balcony railing and pulled down into a searing kiss. When they pulled away to breathe she was acutely aware of the hand that had found its way under her tunic.

“I want you to stay with me in my quarters tonight,” Vira’s breath was hot and needy against her ear, sending warm waves down to the pit of her stomach. “Please, Katalina.”

This was dangerous. For both of their sakes they should not be going this far. She knew she was going to regret accepting the invitation in the morning, but for now she was satisfied with capturing Vira’s lips in another deep kiss and letting herself be swept away by the feeling.


End file.
